• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.19 no.spc
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• pp.193-206
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• 1986

A number of auriferous veins occur in the Precambrian metamorphic terrain from Chungju to Mugeug district. These gold (-silver) deposits consist mainly of the fissure-filling quartz veins intruding the Precambrian gneiss or schist and Jurassic or Cretaceous granite. These gold (-silver) deposits can be 'divided into two mineralization epochs, (a) gold-rich veins related to Daebo igneous activity, and (b) gold-silver veins related to Bulgugsa igneous activity. These two groups of ore deposits with different generation can be characterized by the mode of occurrence of ore vein and the ore mineral associations. The auriferous quartz veins of Taechang and Boryeon mines associated with late Jurassic igneous activity are massive in character, and show the simple mineral assemblages and low Ag/Au ratio in the ores, representing a single mineralization system. The ore minerals are predominantly quartz containing minor or trace amonts of pyrrhotite, sphalerite, galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite and electrum. Electrum is closely associated with pyrrhotite and has chemical compositions from 61.4 to 78.5 atomic % Au. Fluid inclusion data suggest that ore minerals were deposited at temperatures between 238 and $390^{\circ}C$ from $CO_2$-rich fluids. The gold and/or silver-bearing quartz veins of Geumwang mine related to middle Cretaceous igneous activity are characterized by the multistage history, diverse mineral assemblages with high Ag/Au ratio in the ores. The ores of Geumwang mine have two contrasting mineral assemblages (1) pyrite+galena+sphalerite+arsenopyrite+electrum+argentite, representing the higher gold mineralization, and (2) pyrite+chalcopyrite+ galena +sphalerite+ arsenopyrite+silver sulfosalts+ electrum+ native silver+argentite, representing the higher silver mineralization. Electrum is closely associated with pyrite and has chemical compositions from 11.2 to 49.9 atomic % Au. The depositional environment during the higher gold mineralization can be estimated as the range of both temperature and sulfur fugacity, T= $200{\sim}300^{\circ}C$, log f ($S_2$) = $10^{-10}{\sim}10^{-15}$. The higher silver mineralization may be interpreted to have formed a range of falling temperature ($150{\sim}200^{\circ}C$) and low sulfur fugacity($10^{-10}{\sim}10^{-15}$). These temperature data are consistent with homogenization temperatures of fluId inclusions in quartz. Thus, the gold veins related to the Daebo igneous activity may be formed by the environment of higher temperature and pressure than the gold-silver veins associated with the Bulgugsa igneous activity.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.215-232
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• 2020

The study area of Nokjeonri in Yeongwol belongs to the Taebaeksan Mineralized District. Ca and Mg skarn and related ore mineralization are developed in the Pungchon formation along the contact with the Imog granite. Ca skarn hosted in limestone mostly comprises garnet and pyroxene. Mg skarn developed in dolomite includes olivine and serpentine. Magnetite-hematite and pyrrhotite(±scheelite)-pyritegalena-sphalerite were mineralized during early and late stage, respectively. Garnet compositions are dominated by andradite series in proximal area and grossular series in distal area. Pyroxene compositions correspond to diopside series in majority. These compositional changes indicate that the fluids varied from oxidizing condition to reducing condition due to increased reaction with carbonated wall rocks as the fluids moved from the granite to a distal place. Fe₂O₃ and MgO concentrations of magnetite are higher in Mg skarn than those in Ca skarn, while FeO shows opposite trend. The Zn/Fe ratio of sphalerite increases with distance from the Imog granite. The δ³⁴S values of sulfide minerals are similar to those of the Imog granite, indicating magmatic origin in ore sulfur. Mineralization was established in the order of skarn, oxide and sulfide minerals with decreasing temperature and oxygen fugacity and increasing sulfur fugacity.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.463-472
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• 1998

The survey was carried out in order to delineate the occurrence of ore deposits and the mineralized characteristics in the Estancia de la Virgen area through the 1:2,000 scaled geological mapping and topographic measuring surveys. Gold-silver mineralization is in the fault block developed between the San Agustin Fault and Cabanas Fault. It is associated with ore bearing quartz veins controlled by the fault structure. The contents of Au and Ag range from traces up to 72 g/t and 180 g/t respectively. According to traversing the outcrops, the quartz veins are traced by 0.5 Km trended to north and south. In those extended part, they continue for 1,000 m intermittently. Gold-silver mineralization could be divided into three stages. In the first stage, pyrite, galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite were formed with the primary silver and gold associated with galena and copper sulfides respectively. In the second stage, Cu-Bi-Au-Ag bearing sulfides such as chalcocite, covellite, and linarite are formed and usually deposited on the cataclastic fractures of galena and/or chalcopyrite. In the third stage, both the carbonation of galena and sphalerite and the sulphatization of galena, took place in the surface environment. And then primary silver was carried away off and was deposited on galena and/or copper sulfides during oxidation near the water table. Low partitionings of Fe in sphalerite assist that the minerals were formed at the relatively low temperature, which is coincided with previously reported homogenization temperature of fluid inclusions.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.477-490
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• 2010

The Gagok stratabound skarn deposit is the result of the intrusion of the Cretaceous granitic pluton into the Paleozoic calcareous rocks. The subvolcanic intrusion ranges in composition from quartz monzonite to granite porphyry with I-type, calc-alkaline and weakly peraluminous characteristics. Both endoskarn and exoskarn are developed at the Gagok Zn-(Pb) deposit, with more exoskarn than endoskarn. Geochemical and mineralogical characteristics in the Seongok and Wolgok orebodies can be treated in terms of self-organization. Sphalerites in the Gagok ore can also incorporate minor amounts of Mn, Cd, Cu and In. Trace element concentrations in different orebodies vary because fractionation of a given element into sphalerite is influenced by formation temperature and the amount of sphalerite in the ore. A group of high In/Zn and Cd/Zn ratios in ores, and low Mn/Fe ratios in sphalerites are correlated with proximal processes of a magmatic source. The pattern of minor/trace element variations in ores and sphalcrites can be used for petrogenetic interprctation, e.g., orebody zonation related to crystallization temperature and fluid d sources.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 1991

Two solid solution-type phases has been experimentally found in the quaternary system Cu-Fe-Sn-S:$(Fe, Cu, Sn)_{1+x}$ and $Cu_{2-x}Fe_(1+x}SnS_4$. These solid solutions are stable around the CuS-FeS-SnS referecne plane in the composition tetrahedron. One is the sphalerite-type monosulfide solid solution which has a extensive stability range with varying degrees of sulfur/metal ratio 9.7-1.0/1.0. The other is tetrahedrite-type phase $Cu_{2-y)Fe_{1+y}SnS_4(y_{max}=0.4)$ which is stable along the $Cu_2FeSnS_4-FeS$ tie line, but shows no phase transformation in the subsolidus range and decomposes incongruently at the range of 835-862${\circ}C$, depending on the compositional variation. Particularly, the latter phase shows the characteristic superstructure reflections, indicating that it is a derivative of sphalerite structure. The stability field of these two sphalerite-type phases are defined on the basis of diffraction pattern and optical homogeneity of the synthetic materials at the temperature range of 700-400${\circ}C$.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.493-507
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• 2018

The Wooseok deposit in Jecheon belongs to the Hwanggangri Mineralized Distict of the northeastern Ogcheon Metamorphic Belt. Its geology consists mostly of limestone of the Choseon Supergroup and the Cretaceous Muamsa granite intruded at the eastern area of the deposit. The deposit shows vertical occurrence of skarn and hydrothermal vein ores with W-Mo-Fe and Cu-Pb-Zn mineralization and skarn is developed only at lower levels of the deposit. Skarn minerals are replaced or cut by ore minerals in paragenetic sequence of magnetite-hematite, molybdenite-scheelite-wollframite, and higher abundances of pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-pyrite-sphalerite-galena. Garnet has chemical compositions of $Ad_{65.9-97.8}Gr_{0.3-32.0}Pyr_{0.9-3.0}$, corresponding to andradite series, and pyroxene compositions are $Hd_{4.5-49.7}Di_{42.3-93.9}Jo_{0.5-7.9}$, prevailing in diopside compositions, both of which suggest oxidized conditions of skarnization. On the FeS-MnS-CdS ternary diagram, FeS contents of sphalerite in vein ores decrease with increasing MnS contents from bottom to top levels, possibly relating to W mineralization in deep and Pb-Zn mineralization in shallow level. Sulfur isotope values of sulfide minerals range from 5.1 to 6.8‰, reflecting magmatic sulfur affected by host rocks. W-Mo skarn and Pb-Zn vein mineralization in the Wooseok deposit were established by spatio-temporal variation of decreasing temperature and oxygen fugacity with increasing sulfur fugacity from bottom to top levels.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.765-779
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• 2023

The Daum Vent Field (DVF) was newly discovered in the Central Indian Ridge during the hydrothermal expedition by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST) in 2021. In this paper, we describe the detailed mineralogy and geochemistry of hydrothermal chimney and mound to understand the nature of hydrothermal mineralization in the DVF. The mineral assemblages (pyrite±sphalerite±chalcopyrite) of dominant sulfides, FeS contents (mostly <20 mole %) of sphalerite, and (Cu+Zn)/Fe values (0.001-0.22) of bulk compositions indicate that the DVF has an strong affinity with basaltic-hosted seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposit along the oceanic ridge. Combined with the predominance of colloform and/or dendritic-textured pyrite and relatively Fe-poor sphalerite in chimneys, the fluid-temperature dependency of trace element systematics (Co, Mn, and Tl) between chimney and mound indicates that the formation of mound was controlled by relatively reducing and high-temperature fluids compared to chimney. The δ³⁴S values (+8.31 to +10.52‰) of pyrite reflect that sulfur and metals were mainly leached from the associated basement rocks (50.6-61.3%) with a contribution from reduced seawater sulfur (38.7-49.4%). This suggests that the fluid-rock interaction, with little effect of magmatic volatile influx, is an important metal source for the sulfide mineralization in the DVF.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.245-251
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• 1983

The Tongyeong gold-silver deposits is located in Chungmu City, the southern end of Korean peninsula. The ore deposits is epithermal gold-silver vein emplaced in late Cretaceous andesite, andesitic pyroclastics and quartz porphyry. Ore is composed of pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, electrum, argentian tetrahedrite, Cu-Ag-sulfides, quartz and rhodochrosite. Filling temperature of fluid inclusions in quartz ranges from 134 to $223^{\circ}C$ and salinity ranges from 1.2 to 3.8 weight % equivalent to NaCl.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.541-551
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• 1995

The Yeongdeog gold-silver deposits at Jipum, Gyeongsangbugdo, is of a middle Paleogene $(45.52{\pm}1.02Ma)$ vein type, and is hosted in shale and sandstone of Cretaceous age. Based on mineral paragenesis, vein structure and mineral assemblages, the ore mineralization can be divided into two distinct depositional stages. The early stage is associated with base-metals such as pyrite, arsenopyrite (27.99~30.99 at%), hematite, rutile, pyrrhotite, sphalerite (10.53~18.42 FeS mole%), chalcopyrite and galena with wallrock alteration such as chlorite, sericite and pyrite. The late stage is characterized by the Au-Ag mineralization such as electrum, Ag-bearing tetrahedrite, freibergite, pyrargyrite, unidentified mineral, pyrite, sphalerite (1.08~5.57 FeS mole%), chalcopyrite and galena. Fluid inclusion data indicate that fluid temperatures and salinities range from 343 to $227^{\circ}C$ and from 8.3 to 5.7 wt% eq. NaCl in early stage, respectively. Temperatures and salinities of NaCl eq. wt% range from 299 to $225^{\circ}C$ and from 12.9 to 4.3 in late stage, respectively. They suggest that complex cooling histories were occured by the mixing of the fluids. Sulfur fugacity $(-logfs_2)$ deduced by mineral assemblages and composition ranges from 8.3 to 14.7 atm. in early stage, and from 8.8 to 14.5 atm. in late stage. It suggests that the mineralization was related to decrease of temperature in early stage and fluctuations of $fS_2$ with decrease of temperature in late stage. Sulfur and oxygen isotope compositions are 4.48~5.60‰ and 9.25~10.8% in early stage, and late stage is 4.84~7.00‰ and 5.7‰, respectively. It indicated that hydrothermal fluids may be magmatic origin with some degree of mixing of another water during paragenetic time.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.133-146
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• 1986

Primary uraninite and secondary uranium minerals such as torbernite, metatorbernite, tyuyamunite, metatyuyamunite, autunite and metaautunite have been identified from various types of uranium ores. Uranium minerals occur as accessory minerals in both the primary and secondary ores. Low·grade uranium ores consist of various kinds of primary and secondary minerals. Major constituent minerals of primary uranium ores are graphite. quartz. Ba-feldspar and sericite/muscovite, and accessories are calcite, chlorite, fluorapatite, barite, diopside, sphene, rutile, biotite, laumontite, heulandite, pyrite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite, and secondary minerals consist of kaolinite, gypsum and goethite. Uraninite grains occur as microscopic very fine-grained anhedral to euhedral disseminated particles in the graphitic matrix, showing well·stratified or zonal distribution of uranium on auto-radiographs of low-grade uranium ores. Some uraninite grains are closely associated with very fine-grained pyrite aggregates, showing an elliptical form parallel to the schistosity. Some uraninite grains include extremely fine-grained pyrite particle. Sphalerite and pyrite are often associated with uraninite in graphite-fluorapatite nodule. The size of uraninite is $2{\mu}m$ to $20{\mu}m$ in diameter. Low-grade uranium ores are classified into 5 types on the basis of geometrical pattern of mineralization. They are massive, banded, nodular, quartz or sulfide veinlet-rich and cavity filling types. Well-developed alternation of uranium-rich and uranium-poor layers, concentric distribution of uranium in graphite-fluorapatite nodule and geopetal fabrics due to the load cast of the nodule suggest that the uranium was originally deposited syngenetically. Uraninite crystals might have been formed from organo-uranium complex during diagenesis and recrystallized by metamorphism. Secondary uranium minerals such as torbernite, tyuyamunite and autunite have been formed by supergene leaching of primary ores and subsequent crystallization in cavities.